The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons Book

The Chasm of the Colorado (1873-74)
by Thomas Moran
National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC


Page 328 (my book)

Years later I visited the same spot with my friend Thomas Moran. From this world of wonder he selected a section which was the most interesting to him and painted it. That painting, known as "The Chasm of the Colorado"… If anyone will look upon that picture, and then realize that it was but a small part of the landscape before us…The landscape is too vast, too complex, too grand for verbal description.

With all due respect to the very intrepid explorer, John Wesley Powell, this record of his travels is on the dry side - it is devoid of emotion and introspection.

There are a few pages that express exhilaration on what must have been a tremendous passage through these canyons. I have visited the southwest U.S. and the Grand Canyon, and can vouch for the overwhelming and staggering beauty of the land. The diversity and vastness of the landscape can literally knock the wind out of you!

This narrative may be of interest to one who is intimately familiar with the landscape and the Grand Canyon basin. The first part of the book (100 pages) is devoted to geographical descriptions. The second part (200 pages) is the Grand Canyon expedition; a significant portion of what he traversed has since been radically modified by Glen Canyon Dam. How much has the flora and fauna changed? The last part is a trip, taken at a later date, is to areas surrounding the Grand Canyon.

There are many encounters with different tribes. John Wesley Powell outlines some of the "rituals" performed. So the book also has an anthropological slant to it. Ancient ruins were often sited. Likely these ruins were pilfered over the years so now hardly exist.

Even though the book is almost 400 pages, half is taken up by sketches and reproduction of photos in my Penguin edition. Many are wonderful. But absolutely no credit is given! Who made the sketches, who took the photos? And sometimes these illustrations have absolutely nothing to do with the surrounding text!



Philadelphia Museum of Art
Grand Canyon of the Colorado River
by Thomas Moran